Unwanted Guests
by guest with a lot of ideas
Summary: While his daughters are recovering, Tai stands watch over them. However some unwanted people come to call. They learn the hard way, never threaten the children of a dragon.


Author's note: this is more of a potential Taiyang Xiao Long showcase then anything else.

I wanted something small about Ruby and Yang's almost absent father. Didn't turn out very good. Way too many though on his fighting style/potential semblance rather then his personality.

Also as a note: I wrote most of this just after Vol 4 Ep 4 (family) but it took a while to self-edit and then ask for a second opinion for story content and then re-edit.

Tai leaned back against the upstairs bathroom door and let out a sigh. While Ruby had awoken two days ago, she was still rather lethargic. Yang was far worse. She kept having pain in her hand… her missing hand.

Shaking his head Tai moved to the sink and ran some water over his face before looking at his reflection. Willing the door to open and Summer to walk in chastising him about his parenting.

But it was wishful thinking. Summer was dead and Raven had made it abundantly clear that she had no interest in returning. Without Qrow for support, Tai was sure that he would have lost his children long ago.

Pushing himself up Tai tried smiling again. It was still forced but it would be enough to fool people if they didn't look hard enough.

Leaving the bathroom he went down stairs to do some baking. Hoping that the smell of cookies would rouse his two daughters from whatever memories plagued them about Vale. He didn't think this it would work, but Tai was nothing if not an optimist.

As he turned into the kitchen Qrow came in through the back door. "Tai." He began. "Are we expected visitors?"

"No. Why, is someone out there?"

"About four guys in black suits and tacky glasses. They don't really strike me as the door to door sales men type either." Qrow joked before becoming more serious. "I think they may be here to the girls."

Tai responded just as Qrow knew he would and the father made a b-line for the door outside. Qrow contemplated stopping him for a moment but knew it would be better to let Tai go. Taiyang Xiao Long needed to blow off some steam for not coming to Vale for the tournament and thus not being able to protect his girls. And a pack of goons showing up on their doorstep wanted to harm them allowed Tai to vent, Qrow stand back and watch the fireworks.

"Afternoon gentlemen." Tai began with an overly friendly smile. "What can I do for you?"

The closed one opened an overly expensive wallet and flashed a badge that read 'Vale Security Services' as if it that explained everything. "We would like to have a word with Ruby Rose Mr. Xiao Long."

"I'll have to give you a 'Nope' on that one." Tai responded, still smiling.

"This is a rather time sensitive matter Mr. Xiao Long." A second one said as all four of them moved onto the property rather than skirting the edge of it. "The Vale Council needs to know what happened at the top of Beacon tower and Ruby Rose is the only know witness."

"That is another 'Nope'. Want to go for a third?"

"WE are empowered by the Council to do whatever is needed to secure your daughter and that your status as a huntsmen does not make you immune to that right."

"Yup." Tai responded still smiling. "But your not going near my house or children for a number of reason. The simplest being that I'm their father and as such will do everything in my power to protect them. I could point out you are trespassing on my property." He paused in mock contemplation. "Or how about the fact that 'Vale Security Services' is a PMC and in no way affiliated with the Vale Council. But I think the most pressing reason why you're not going to come any closer is because I already talked with a member of Council this morning and they are more than willing to let my little girls a little recover time rather than interrogate them." Tai's smile was gone. Replaced with a look of controlled fury. "So get out of here before I kick all of your asses into the nearest body of water."

The four men pulled stun batons from their holders under the black jackets.

Tai's smile returned in force. "I was looking for a brawl." He shifted back into a fighting stance.

The first one made a reckless charge forward and tried to swipe at him. It was so obvious that Tai was in shock and couldn't even contemplate dodging. The blow landed right on his cheek and while his aura absorbed the damage, the impact forced his head to snap to the side.

If the grunt had any sense, he would have realized that a person being hit like that without falling was a bad sign… but then again, nobody ever said private security agents were smart.

Tai returned his gaze to the trespassers and couldn't help but smile. "That was your free shot." Taiyang palm struck the mook in the middle of his chest, sending the fellow flying backwards and creating a crater in the tree.

Two and three both came at Tai from either side only for the hunter to bock the high blow from two, kick him in the shin and grab the man's arm, pulling him off balance and breaking his center of gravity just in time for three to try and strike. Tai threw two into three and both of them ended up at Qrow's feet as the honorary uncle watched.

Two was out cold and three was trapped beneath the weight of two. Qrow looked down and smiled. "Finally. Someone to talk to."

Qrow sat down the pair and leaned back. "Can I tell you a secret?" He asked three. Only to get a groan as a response.

Several dozen other PMC member were running out from their hiding place in the woods to join the melee just as the fourth of the original four went flying into a low grade orbit from an uppercut.

"I never really understood Tia's fighting style." Qrow began, mostly ignoring the struggling man beneath him. "I mean. Back in our school days. Tai was an ok fighter but by no means the best on out but it always looked like Raven, Summer and I were in a different league. So one day in our fourth year, my sister wanted to prove it once and for all who was top dog. So she went to Ozpen and had all of us run the gauntlet."

Tai was using one of the private security personal as a stepping stool to bounce into the tree line and come back down on another as a cannonball.

"Three weeks on no-stop missions." Qrow continued. "The only rest being the Bullhead shuttling us from location to location. We were reasonable our own body count as a matter of honor."

Tai close-lined on fellow into a tree so hard, the wood bounced him right back into Tai's waiting fist.

"30 missions in 21 days. That was almost double the previous record. To finish off with a battle royal between the four of us at the temple in the Emerald Forest. Winner take all." Qrow smiled like he was remembering the best day of his life. "It was a grueling slog through some of the worst Grimm you can imagine. As we reached the ruins of the temple everyone sang out their numbers. In that massive grind the girls and I average over 100 Grimm an hour. Tai-"

The words were cut short as the man in question pilled drove a goon into the ground right in from of Qrow and his unwilling guests.

"Mind making sure none of them break the house. You know how hard it is to get a good window replacement service out to Patch?" Tai asked.

Qrow held up his silver flask in salute before Tai dove back into the fray.

"Where was I… oh yes. Tai was easily the odd man out only getting an average of 88 Grimm. Raven called him out on it and all Tai did was shrug and ready his weapons. My sister, being the genius she is, tried to take him out first. Though he would be easy prey after his poor performance. Man oh man was she wrong."

"Qrow." Tai called jogging up to the relaxing bird. "I need those two you're sitting on."

"Come on man. Can't you see we're having a conversation."

Tai gave his brother-in-law a bemused look. "One got knocked out when I threw him and the other passed out due to lack of oxygen a few minutes ago."

Qrow looked down to see that his 'captives' audience was indeed unconscious. "Oh. Sorry man." He got up. "Here you go."

Tai picked up the two and lined them up with the still forms of their fellows. "I though there was an even 50." He muttered to himself as he recounted only 49.

"You MONSTER." Someone called from the edge of the woods. Looking up the pair saw the last person on the field. He was shaking next to a tree and trying to lift a death ray larger than he was. "I didn't wanna use this but you're asking for it!"

He pulled the trigger and a fireball larger then Tai and Qrow put together flew at them. Qrow merely took another swig from his hip flask as Tai put both of his hands palms out. The fireball hit his hands and halted for a fraction of a second before dissipating.

The shooter's strength failed him as the death ray fell to the ground. "Not-Not possible." He streamed in fear. "Aura can't block attacks like that!"

Before the thug could gather his wits a rope snaked down from the tree he was using for support and yanked the poor man up into the waiting mouth of a King Taijitu.

Before the man could be eaten alive Qrow shot the offending head allowing the man to fall to a 'relatively' safe landing. "Fear attracts the Grimm." The old bird said to himself while Tai charged forward again to save contractor from death. The blood red eyes of a Grimm hoard approaching through the forest. Qrow shook his head and went back into the house.

Tai meanwhile was holding the influx of Grimm at bay. Even on a 'safe' island like patch, Grimm would find a way to cross to the island's shores and attack people periodically.

"TAI!" Qrow called as he came back out and threw a diamond shape the length of a person's forearm at his teammate. "Finish it quick would you. The girls might wake up."

Tai didn't even both nodding. His playtime was over and the hunt was on.

Qrow stayed back to allow Tai to do his work while monologing to himself. "Tai dropped my Sister in one blow. That was when Summer realized something that had been nagging her all week."

Tai split the diamond in two halves and strapped them to his forearms. With a flip of the wrist the right one fell down into his hands in a crescent shape.

"Most hunters have two different forms to their weapon." Qrow continued to himself. "A close range and a long. Some add a third." He nudged his sword/scythe/high caliber pistol. "But most don't go beyond that."

Tai threw the crescent as it flew through the second head of the King Taijitu, decapitating it.

"But Tai is one of the exceptions to that rule. A boomerang for medium range."

A Boarbatusk tried its spinning ball attack on Tai only for the blond hunter to block it with the half of the diamond still attached to his wrist.

"A shield for close range defense."

Tai with another flick of his wrist the shield folded down over his forearm to become an armguard with two barrels sticking out. Both gun barrels barked and an identical pair of wholes appeared in the shoulder armor of the boar like Grimm.

"Arm guards with cannons should he want to punch someone's face in… much like Yang."

Tai caught the boomerang half in his hand and slid both halves back together into the diamond shape before punching another Boarbatusk, infusing it with a little bit of aura causing the creature to explode. It was an uncommon but not unheard of form of aura manipulation that some hunters use to diversify their arsenal. The same technique that both Lie Ren and Fox Alastor of Beacon academy are proficient in.

"Toping all of that off with some first rate aura manipulation makes him pack a hellova punch."

Tai punted the remains of the Boarbatusk into other Grimm that just kept coming. Making sure the blackened monsters got nowhere near the senseless thugs that Tai had be beating up only moments before.

"But the tangible weapons weren't the only things in a Hunter's arsenal. There are… less physical weapons as well."

A skull-like Grimm was all that was left of the party. Roughly the size of a trash can the thing was relatively weak on its own. Rather than attack Tai or Qrow however, it started eating the remains of the other Grimm Tai had killed and from its bony exoskeleton grew spikes while the eye sockets were filled with the heads of snakes from the Taijitu that had been the first kill.

In seconds it had become a bizarre chimera of the dead Grimm on the field.

Tai charged at it, swiping with the shield halves or using the boomerangs and his fists to attack from several angles at once.

"I can shift into a bird for flight… among other things. Yang and Ruby are both very straight forward in their but Tai… he is a bit more complicated than most."

One of the snake heads struck at Tai's side that was without a weapon as the boomerang was flying back. It tried to bite down and while his aura prevented damage it did immobilize his arm, preventing him from retrieving the boomerang form of his weapon that was flying back at him.

Tai flexed the arm and it exploded into flames.

"Tai's Semblance it thermokinesis. The ability to control temperature. But he can't do it from nothing. He needs to absorb and redirect heat to adjust it. Either absorb it to make an area cold, or excerpt it to make an area hot. Hm. Guess that guy with the gun good for something."

The snake head let got and Tai re-strapped the diamond to his arm before grabbing the offending head. Ice crystals covered it quickly and in the space of a breath, the entire limb was frozen solid. Tai used it to throw the entire Grimm up into the air before flipping both weapons into the armguards and punching into the main body of the skill.

Tai's hands ripped a gouge into the bone white armor of the skull. Then he stuck his bare hands into the small opening. The entirety of the skull started to light up and the thing was a miniature sun before the second snake head could even attack the Hunter. It disintegrated into nothing as the heat rose so fast, the surrounding air started to shimmer.

"After seeing Tai nearly incinerate Raven, Summer backed away to leave me to fight him. 'Leader's prerogative' she stated. But I knew what it really was. Summer just didn't want get between a devilishly handsome man such as myself and the person she had a crush on since our first week." Qrow muttered. "Only to slide between Tai's legs and punch me in the family jewels before flipping upward and kicking Tai into a tree." Qrow took the last swig of his flask. "When I woke up I found Tai across the hall playing a card game with team SLFR. He told me how Summer let us tire each other out before she came in to bet us both senseless and force him to carry us back citing 'victor's prerogative'."

Tai landed on the ground as the remains of the Grimm vanished into oblivion. The blond man arched his back and Qrow could hear a popping nose as the elder Long cracked his back before turning to Qrow.

"That was fun." Looking over at the collection goons that had started it all he added, "Do you mind calling the council about these guys? It's nearly dinner and I want to make some muffins."

"Sure thing Tai." Qrow agreed. "Just don't put any pickles in them again. You know I hate pickles."

Tai shrugged and grinned like they were back in school and was being reprimanded for a prank. "All right, banana muffins it is." With that Tai went back inside.

Qrow pulled out his scroll but didn't dial yet checking the local tower signal. "In the end, I think he's why Raven ran. Tai could get under anyone's skin and make them talk. And Raven… she just want to kill and raid humans who aren't as strong as she is."

He called a local magistrate and after relying the situation hung up to look at a bird in the trees.

"The only reason you slept with Tai is to have a child with the one man who could constantly beat you. Wasn't it sister." The bird cawed once and flapped away. "And after you did you ran. Because you were afraid Tai could make you want more."

Up in the house, Tai knocked on the door of Ruby's room. "Ha'ya kiddo. Feel up to eating something?"

Ruby looked up from a letter from that Jaune boy and smiled. "Sure day. Just let me put this away." She shuffled the newspapers she had asked for into a drawer before taking the plate offered to her. Biting down on the muffin she asked, "Pickles?"

"Yup. Just don't tell Uncle Qrow. He hates it when I experiment with food."

Ruby giggled and took another bite of the pickle muffin her dad made specifically for her. "What pickle?" She asked.

Tai smiled and moved to the next room to give Yang her food.

"I though I heard something outside." Yang stated, not looked away from the window and trying to use her body to keep the stump of an arm out of sight.

"It was nothing big girl. Just some door to door sales people that wouldn't take no for an answer." Tai responded evenly. "I sent them flying."

Yang didn't respond, nor did she react when he put a plate of broccoli and cheese on her bedside. Yang hated the food and Tai was hoping to elicit a reaction but he was sorely mistaken. Didn't respond and just kept looking.

Tai retreated, knowing the food would be gone when he came back in an hour. Yang had been through a lot, and he wasn't willing to push her. Not yet. Let her recover for a few weeks, then he would get her back on her feet. Even if it was kicking and screaming.

End note:

I was thinking about Tai and his fighting style and wanted something similar to Yang's but not a carbon copy. As for his semblance, they already have Goodwitch's being a -kinesis, why not make Tai's something relating to his name, heat/sun.

The last Grimm, the skull, is depicted suppose to be depicted in the RWBY manga. Roman Torchwich fought one while first setting up the base in Mountain Glen. It was said to eat other Grimm and develop abilities based on what it eats. To my knowledge, it has not been given an official name and I am uncertain of the legitimacy of the manga itself. However giving Tai a new(ish) Grimm to fight without creating a completely original species sat better then reusing the same few we have seen so far.


End file.
